OK, we just moved to Texas and have a 100 acre lease. Got our feeders set up in August and had tons of deer coming in within a week. Then started to see more hogs and less deer on trail cams. Now the deer are practically non-existant and the hogs are out of control. I have read on here that hogs can run off the deer; well I am beginning to suspect that. The problem is, the hogs are straight up nocturnal. We never see them during the day. Any ideas on getting them out during the day, or do I have to just night hunt them. If so, what are the best tactics; lighting, weapon, etc? Thanks.

I recommend 6.8 SPC in conjunction with thermal imager, Gen 3 night vision, IR illuminator and suppressor. YMMV.

I've heard that some crushed up skeet mixed with molases is a good remedy for hogs. Never tried it myself though.

I would start by putting pens around your feeders, and make them out of cattle pannels and make them big enough so that most of the corn stays inside the pen. Once the hogs realize that they cant get to the corn then they should stop messing up the deer.

X2. Pen out your best locations and let the hogs have free reign in a couple to keep them occupied.

ive been feeding year round. ive only seen hogs in day light 2x in the past year live and very rarely on my game cam. so on my location the hogs are nocturnal. so I adapted and got night vision technology to down the sounders.

as per feeding. ive witnessed the hogs chasing off the deer but after about 6 months of feeding they've gotten used to each other. they still don't like each other but will share space as long as the hogs aren't being overly aggressive. most of the hogs on my property are under 100# and run in small groups from 6-12.

just whisper in there ear really nicely! or play some kenny g i hear they love that this time of year!

Hey neighbor, I live just south of you in Fair Oaks. Good advice on here about penning. We are able to keep both hogs and sheep off the corn and protein feeders, and we just use the 34" hog panels. Make sure its a secure pen, though, cuz they will test it, and don't scrimp and make it too small. Our game cams have only caught 2 hogs on the inside in 3 years. Much better deer numbers with the pigs penned out.

Also, we trap and bust the hogs whenever we can. If you can't swing night vision, we have good luck with a high quality scope at last shooting light where you can't see'em with the naked eye. They come in thinking its safe, and we can still see with Mr. Leupold's help. Also some solar lights, or special hog/feeder lights will allow you to go nocturnal too if you have decent optics. The light doesn't keep em away. They start getting busted regular, they tend to move on.

BTW, where about you leasing? I'm out by Brackett.

Plan a few hunts to coincide with full moons or moon phases that provide enough light to hunt from. Good scopes draw enough light from the moon to have successfull hunts.

Next full moon will be Nov. 21, and the best way to make hogs shy is kill a few, then they will disappear for a few days, or at least that group will be shy for a few days.

We started feeding cotton seed in wire baskets, hogs no likey cotton seed and its higher in protien for deer than corn by 12%.

You'll see less hogs if you aren't feeding them. Those that are blessed with tons of white oaks will always have deer and hogs competing for acorns this time of year even without feeders.

Animals know what it takes to get them through the winter, and deer needs the fat that nuts provides.

They switch to nocturnal when they have been pressured. They are NOT naturally like this. Every piece of land I have ever hunted that had zero pressure, had them come out during the day. An AR15 using 77OTM will work as good as a 6.8. You will need a weapon mounted light, or nightvision, or solar lights on your feeder. We have killed over 200 hogs on my place in past 1.5 years.

I know it's all about shot placement, but you think M855 62gr 5.56 would do the trick as well?

I have a crap load of green tips and want to give them a shot at hogs.

Left the house about 1PM for my mid-week check of my hunter's feeders. Signs of corn at most feeders but nothing at two sites because my daylight hogs were in the process of cleaning the pantry as I drove up.

Maybe you guys don't have the right hogs. PM me and I will send you a trailer load of breeding stock with guaranteed DAYLIGHT DNA. :-)

Don't forget the 5 hour energy to keep you awake long enough to shoot them. I usually get to tired before they show up.

I have killed a ton with with M855, but its not really good for the job. Leaves a tiny if any blood trail, and you will lose alot of them. With the 77 OTM or TSX your gonna get massive blood, and most will die on the spot.

buy a kill light, these hog lights are pretty cheap and work great, i just bought one and used it the other nite, i had several pigs come in and could see to shoot with no problem... way cheaper than night vision, and they can hook staright to feeder battery or run off 4 c bats. the light has magnets on the base and will stick to the bottom of your feeder... and head shots are the best way to go if you want to recover it, otherwise anywhere works...

ok call me and ill bring mine up and we can "assist" in a little porkchop prep...and we can turn that bowtech loose on them...

Cold weather will get them up and moving some during the day, other wise hunt them at night.

Is the 77gr bullet feasible in an AR with a 1:9 twist?

It may work, but there are 69 and 75 grain that are the same. The TSX is definetly feasible, once you use this ammo you won't even think of buying a 6.8.

Here is a range report of my first time out with this ammo, have since killed 8 with same result. Pure carnage.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=9&t=639143

put some dogs on them

dogs would be my first choice, but i'd try feeding almost exclusively in the morning and only a second or two at night. that way either the hogs show up in the morning daylight to eat or they don't get any corn because the birds and squirrels will get it, or hopefully the deer that show up earlier. either they eat when you can shoot them, or they don't eat and hopefully move on.

If you do get a dogger just talk to your neighbors and get try to get permission for him to get his dogs if they cross the fence, a hundred acres is pretty small for dogging and it's no fun standing at a fence calling dogs back.

Can you guys tell me where I can buy some of these night lights to use hunting them at dark?

Ah! My specialty! I do hog removal and I just plain old rather shoot hogs than anything else. So I do it about 200 nights year and it doesn't get old. 5 hour energy drinks work pretty good.
I also take a form of entertainment with me as staring at a light in the dark makes you bored or tired quickly. With a 10-15mph wind, I can take my computer with me, as the wind covers the sound of the fan, or I read a book with a small red light while I wait. I can't tell you how many times I got bored and opened the 'puter and had to shut it right back down due to hogs coming in. The low light doesn't bother them or coons at all.

You're right! If you have hogs, you won't have deer when they get over populated. Being nocturnal and needing to shoot multiples at each sitting, what I do is take out one of the crossbows with a 4x32 scope with crosshairs or now a days, illuminated crosshairs ( peep & pin so doesn't work well) on some of the bows, put luminoks on the arrows, and top them off with MUZZY Phantom broadheads. Those are some hog cutting/ killing heads. Then, load up a quiver with at least 4 arrows, and go sit 20 yards from a corn feeder with a hoglite on it, but not necessary if you hunt the full moon. Hunting this style, it's quiet, thrilling especially sitting on the ground, and you can keep cocking and shooting till you run out of arrows or they get wise to you.

When they get wise to you, watch the moon phases for best times. I have good luck on full moons when the moon rises just at or after dark, or 4 days after a full or new moon.

The trick is a good trailing light. We use a million candle power light attached to a 12v feeder battery and put it in a bird bag, or tool pouch to keep your pistol hand free while trailing.Nothing like walking up on a mad boar in the dark. Shoot them big boars quartering away for good penetration to the heart. They can't recoup from a heart shot.

If you shoot multiples, then if your first runs off in one direction, let them settle back down and shoot the next facing the other direction. Doesn't always work that they run the way they're facing but better chances for tracking.

I use the FEEDLITE and have had some of them for over 10 years. A company outside of Houston makes those. Not cheap but well worth the money. Never have problems with them. They come with a solar panel to keep the battery charged. Also, a friend of mine makes and sells lights for hunting hogs & yotes. His biz is Sills Aviation out of Leander TX. Those even come with two directional lights with red lenses if you want, and a remote control. Cheaper than the FEEDLITE.

Great post.
Welcome to the THF Wendy. Glad to have you here.
Guys, Guide Girl is the real deal. Queen of the Crossbow and one heck of a hunter! Or maybe I should say huntress.

Feed them my wife's cooking and they'll leave the county! Seriously though, I have also heard about the skeet clay targets. Apparently they eat them and the binding agent in the clay binds them up intestinally. Never tried it myself. I know some of the rice farmers in south Texas pressure them with Jack Russell terriers. Those little dogs run around yapping at them and they will actually leave a place.

I agree with GuideGirl, I would rather shoot hogs than anything!